October 3, 1991 - Living With Nature in New HampshireC6 The Suffolk Times , October 3, 1991
Living With Nature in New Hampshire
By Paul Stoutenbumh
Last week we attended the annual
meeting of the Land Trust Alliance held
in Waterville Valley, N.H. Over 700
people from hundreds of land trusts
throughout the United States and
Canada and as far away as Taiwan met
to discuss ways and means of making
their land trusts a more potent
movement in saving land from the
onslaughts of today's world. The role of
the land trust is to work with
government, landowners and developers
to make a more perfect world.
Waterville Valley is a huge
conference center complex in a ski area
nestled amongst the foothills of the
White Mountains. Already the leaves
were turning into their kaleidoscope of
fall colors. Barbara and I traveled there
in our camper and took a leisurely trip
up, stopping here and there whenever
our fancy turned. As we got farther
north we could see where delicate plants
like tomatoes had been covered to
protect them from damaging frosts. We
found out why: One night in a
neighboring valley the temperature
dropped into the 20s.
Our weather was perfect and our na-
tional forest campsite had its hardy fol-
lowers. The disadvantage of camping in
the mountains at this time of the year is
that it takes the sun a long time to
move up above the mountains about
you. We often would drive into the con-
ference area early where it was open and
the morning sun could warm us.
Breeding Time for Moose
As we were approaching the moun-
Focus on
Nature
tains we saw blue flashing lights of
state police stopping cars for speeding.
We later found out the reason for the
strict enforcement of the 45 mph limit
in the area was because it was moose
rutting time. This is the time when the
bull moose are on the prowl. One per-
son had recently been killed after the car
she was riding in hit a moose, for they
can be as large as a cow or bigger. The
situation there with moose is similar to
ours here on the East End with deer.
With no natural predators like wolves
and bears etc., man has to take over the
role of keeping the numbers down
through hunting. Otherwise starvation
from overpopulation would occur.
One of our field trips was to a 300 -
acre working farm in nearby Sandwich
that was being saved by a local land
trust. It was hard to realize that most of
the wooded area about these rolling hills
was once pastures of subsistence farm-
ing. As we drove over historic gravel
roads, the telltale remnants of stone
walls spread up and out of sight through
the woods. They were grim reminders of
the toil and heartbreak that went into
those meager holdings back in the
1800s. It was after the Civil War, when
the returning soldiers brought back the
tales of better lands to the west, that
families began to move out.
Today only a few farms are left and
they are the ones that were fortunate to
"Et, I V U ---- --- F A.-i-R.M.
11TH ANNUAL
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1991
11 A.M. -4 P.M. — RAIN OR SHINE
TRADITIONAL CRAFTS
FOR PURCHASE - DEMONSTRATIONS
MORRIS DANCERS
STRUMMERS & PENNY WHISTLERS
CART & HAY RIDES - CLYDESDALE HORSES
BAKE TABLE & COUNTRY VITTLES
* ADMISSION: $3.00 GENERAL *
$2.00 MEMBERS /SRS. * $1.00 CHILDREN
LOCATION: ON SOUND AVENUE, RIVERHEAD
(4 MILES EAST OF RT. 105)
INFORMATION: 298 -5292
CHIPMUNK —Like the grey squirrels, the chipmunks are now storing
food for winter. True hibernators, they sleep most of the winter curled
up in a ball in their frost -free home underground.
be on the best and flattest lands. It re-
minded me how fortunate our island is
in having such rich and fertile farmlands
and how important it is to keep this
land in production and not in housing
developments. Once farmland is paved
over it is lost forever.
Life Goes On
Whenever I had a break between work
sessions I'd return to the camper where
Barbara had brought lots of those jobs
that require uninterrupted time and pa-
tience. The weather was warm during
the day so it was quite comfortable in
our little camper that rode on the back
of our pickup.
Once while I was backing into a
camp spot Barbara heard a commotion
alongside the road. Upon investigating
she found one of nature's untold tales
unfolding before her. When I got there I
found a small chipmunk sprawled out
on the edge of the road looking for all
the world as if he were dead. I asked
Barbara what had happened and she told
me she couldn't believe what had taken
place. A large chipmunk had. run out,
grabbed the little one and thoroughly
trounced it, rolling it over and over as it
squealed and shrieked.
It seemed as if it were going to kill
the little one. As I nudged the little
body with my foot it came to life and
moved into the pine needles just off the
roadside. We watched its feeble move-
ments for a short time until once again,
right in front of us, the larger chipmunk
made his appearance and grabbed and
tussled with more shrieks and calls of
alarm.
Once again I intervened by chasing
the bigger chipmunk away. Now left
alone, the little chippy curled up into a
ball with his tail pulled over his head
that was tucked underneath his body.
Evidently he ,wanted to hide and get
away from that thrashing he was get-
ting. I tried to pick him up but this dis-
turbed his hiding and he went off a short
distance, only to roll up in a tight ball
once again. We had interfered too much
into this strange behavioral pattern.
I think what was going on was what
goes on in many animal families as
cold weather approaches. They literally
drive their young out of their territory
to fend for themselves and not take the
precious food supplies the elders have
gathered for winter. Or it could have
been one trying to drive away an
encroaching chipmunk who was
invading his territory. In either case, it
was nature's way of preventing
starvation. It's not a cruel act but a
necessary one for survival and we had
been privileged to sit in on it.
7
11 now for appointment
92 • Cutchogue, N.Y.
uffolk License #18,167 -M